[Elecraft] [OT] Any good experience/recommendations with boost regulators with K3?

[Jim Bennett]

Bob,

I have a 75w GE solar panel outside, feeding a Morningstar Prostar 15M charge controller, and that feeds three 108ah AGM batteries in parallel. For several years I did not have any sort of boost regulator. Things worked pretty well, but the winters in northern California can bring days on end w/o enough sunshine to get the batteries up to full speed. Doing a lot of 100w QSO'ing will eventually run the battery voltage dow almost to the "danger zone" as far as the K3 is concerned. Two years ago the XYL bought me one of the TGE units: the N8XJK Boost Regulator, with the optional meter panel. Very, very cool.

I run the output of the boost regulator into a West Mountain Radio Rig Runner 4008. Everything in the shack (K3, MFJ-259B, operating light) is powered through that distribution box. And with the addition of the Boost Regulator, I ALWAYS have 13.8 V going to each unit. 

When I first got the Boost Regulator, I noticed birdies all over many of the HF bands. I'd turn off the regulator and the birdies went away. I called TGE (can't remember the fellow's name, but he was very cordial) and explained the situation to him. He worked with me on the issue and the problem has been resolved. He replaced my Boost Regulator with one having much longer leads and supplied me with a handful of rather large ferrite cores. I wrapped the wires from the Boost Regulator through the ferrites several times and the birdies have disappeared.

That was two years ago. I don't know if they've had any design changes in the mean time that deal with the birdies, or if one must still use the ferrites they supply. It would be worth a call to them to see what their current situation is regarding the birdie issue. You can use my name and call if that helps joggle his mind!

If you opt to go with another vendor's booster (MFJ also sells one), check with other hams to see if they are having HF birdie issues.

Anyway, I've been running my 100w station with solar panel / battery power for quite a few years - now that I've had a boost regulator, I would not want to be without one. After all, why make the K3 draw more current than necessary to have xxx amount of output power? :-)


On   Thursday, Aug 9, 2012, at  Thursday, 9:10 AM, Bob wrote:

> Hey,
> 
> Sort of off topic, but I was wondering if anyone has any positive
> experience using boost regulators fed from a lead acid battery to drive
> their K3?  Specifically I'm wondering which models might be relatively free
> of emitted noise, are fairly efficient, and haven't messed up in a typical
> RF environment.
> 
> I use solar panels to keep a flooded lead acid battery array charged, then
> run my ham stuff from that - but the battery voltage does sag lower than
> I'd like under transmit, dropping down to about 12.0 VDC, so I'd like to
> get it closer to 13.8 under load by using a boost regulator.
> 
> Appreciate the bandwidth, and thanks in advance.
> 
> 73, Bob, WB4SON
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